The prevalence of renal disease is high in aged cats, whereas chronic renal failure is considered the most important one. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats is reported to reach up to 20% with 53% of cats were older than 7 years (Lefebre, Toutain 2004, J. Vet. Pharm. Therap. 27, 265-281; Wolf A M North. Am. Vet. Congress 2006). Survival in cats with mild to moderate azotemia and extrarenal clinical signs (IRIS stage 2 & 3) ranged from 1 to 3 years. Early management and therapy is considered to successfully influence prognosis for CKD (Wolf A M North Am. Vet Congress 2006).
Chronic renal failure (CRF), at least in its final stage is, regardless of the underlying causes, characterized by irreversible structural lesions of the kidney. Thereby, progressive irreversible lesions initially localized to one portion of the nephron (e.g. glomeruli, peritubular capillaries, tubules or interstitial tissue), are eventually responsible for the development of lesions in the remaining, but initially unaffected portions of nephrons due to their functional interdependencies. New nephrons cannot be formed to replace others irreversibly destroyed by disease. In a study of biopsy findings in cats with primary renal azotemia, tubulointerstitial nephritis was observed in 70%, glomerulonephropathy occurred in 15%, lymphoma in 11% and amyloidosis was observed in 2% of the samples. CRF is recognized by reduced kidney function or the presence of kidney damage (Polzin, Osborne, Ross 2005 in: Ettinger S J, Feldman C E (eds.) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 6th, Vol 2. Chapter 260, 1756-1785).
Angiotensin II plays an important part in pathophysiology, particularly as the most potent agent for increasing blood pressure in humans. It is known that in addition to its effect of raising blood pressure Angiotensin II also has growth-promoting effects which contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy, vascular thickening, atherosclerosis, renal failure and stroke. In small animals, inhibition of the effects of Angiotensin II, via either ACE inhibitors have been shown to exhibit renoprotective effects through their simultaneous capacity to decrease blood pressure and control proteinuria.
Current therapy aims to delay the progression of the disease in cats by improving renal function, especially glomerular function by maintaining glomerular perfusion. This includes dietary protein restriction, modification of dietary lipid intake, phosphate restriction and treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (P. J. Barber (2004) The Kidney, in: Chandler E A, Gaskell C J, Gaskell R M (eds.) Feline Medicine and Therapeutics, 3rd edition, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK).
ACE inhibitors, especially enalapril, benazepril, imidapril and ramipril, have been initially developed in small animal medicine to control chronic heart failure (CHF). Based on the pathophysiological role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in progression of chronic heart failure and in progression of renal damage, these agents have been shown to be useful in the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in order to delay progression of disease and reduce morbidity and suffering in small animals, including cats. Sound evidence for this is probably the recent approval of benazepril in Europe for the treatment of feline CRF (Lefebre Toutain, 2004 J Vet Pharm Therap 27, 265-281). However, the renoprotection of ACE inhibitor was likely mediated by the effect on proteinuria rather than by blood pressure reduction. This has been shown for ramipril, since the effect on blood pressure was comparable to that of placebo while the proteinuria was reduced (Remuzzi et al., 2006, J Clin Invest 116, (2) 288-296).
From a clinical point of view, ACE inhibitors are not the preferred target to block the RAAS because of the lack of specificity for Angiotensin I and the “angiotensin escape” phenomenon where alternate enzymatic pathways such a cathepsin, trypsin or the heart chymase can also convert Angiotensin I. Moreover, during long term treatment with ACE inhibitors, ACE activity is unregulated and Angiotensin I levels are high due the stimulated renin secretion (Burnier & Brunner, 2000, The Lancet, 355, 637-645).
Thus, one objective of the present invention consists in providing a new therapeutic approach for the treatment or prophylaxis of cats against chronic kidney disease.
A further more general aspect of the present invention consists in providing a new therapeutic approach for the treatment or prophylaxis of cats against systemic diseases; preferably against systemic diseases which are related to Angiotensin II or associated with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).